Our Performance

Capabilities

utilizing organigraphs for a LEADING federal agency's Records management program

Figure 1. Federal Agency Organization Chart

The classicial organizational representation like the one shown in Figure 1 does not effectively illustrate the records management roles and functions and does not help illustrate the true organizational dynamics involved in the records management program. Although agency staff understand the organization's regulatory commitment to records management and the organization's internal records management requirements as outlined in the agency's records management program directive, providing visibility and structure to the roles and functions can aid in discussions related to program operation and governance.

The notional current state organigraph of the agency’s records management program is shown in Figure 2. An organigraph, unlike a classic organization chart, depicts how an organization performs critical interactions among stakeholders, processes, products/services, and information through the use of key organizing approaches in the form of sets, chains, hubs and webs (Mintzberg & Van der Heyden, 1999). Such representations are useful when depicting programs that provide enterprise-wide services and allow leaders to understand how to best manage their operations through a more strategic lens. Organigraphs can provide insight to managers regarding program design from an organizational perspective by allowing them to see how management paradigms can be leveraged.

Figure 2. Federal Agency Records Management Program Organigraph

The notional current state organigraph delineates the various key roles involved in the records management program, which include the Records Manager, Record Coordinators, and Line of Business Managers (LoB) (or Department Directors). Additional functional and organizational entities involved in the program such as NARA, Information Technology (IT), Security and Privacy (Sec Priv), and General Counsel (GC) are also depicted. The organigraph also illustrates the interaction between the roles and key management philosophies. It also shows that the Records Managers and Record Coordinators manage and control the records management process (technically called a chain in organigraph terminology). They also function in a web and coordinate through the Business Council. The LoB Managers are shown in a set wherein they oversee and allocate resources. The formal management philosophy notations are shown in Figure 3.